Amid the growing tension in the South China
Sea that threatens a confrontation between China and the United States,
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says that middle and smaller powers also
have a stake in ensuring the rivalry does not spiral into outright conflict.
Speaking
before the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a prominent defence conference, in
Singapore on Friday, Yudhoyono said that both the US and China had an
obligation not just to themselves but also to the rest of the region to develop
peaceful cooperation.
"Keep
in mind that the relations of major powers are not entirely up to them,” said
Yudhoyono.
"Middle
and smaller powers too can help lock the major powers into this durable [regional]
architecture, through a variety of instruments. For example, in Bali last year,
18 leaders taking part in the East Asia Summit agreed to a set of morally
binding principles which, if adhered to, would help foster a more stable and
peaceful region.”
Yudhoyono
called on the two superpowers to forge a positive and cooperative relationship.
Yudhoyono
said that Indonesia’s proposal of a “regional architecture” should ensure that
relations between the two powers remained peaceful, stable and cooperative well
into the future."“If a new pattern of polarisation and rivalry between the
major powers emerges, it would be a step backward and lead regional affairs in
the wrong direction,” said Yudhoyono.
"In
this connection, we are encouraged that the United States and China are
attempting to ‘evolve’ a positive and cooperative relationship. Given their
combined strategic, diplomatic, economic and demographic weight, US-China
relations will have impacts far beyond their bilateral relations.”
Tensions
between the US and China have ebbed and flowed, with the recent surge in
tensions involving China becoming more adamant in its claim to some territories
in the South China Sea, which has sparked protests from the Philippines — a key
US ally in the region — and several other members of Asean.
Due to
the claims, coupled with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the US has determined
to shift its focus to the region.
US
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, a participant of the Singapore conference, is
expected to lay out more details of the US plans to increase the number of
troops and military equipment in the Asia-
Pacific,
as reported by Reuters.
He
would not describe US military assets — ships, aircraft, radars or other
high-tech systems — that the US was willing to devote to the region. He told
reporters traveling with him to Singapore on Thursday that the US could provide
weapons, technological assistance and other aid to the countries based on their
individual needs, Reuters reported.
The
conference, however, may be somewhat diminished by the lack of attendance by
key Chinese leaders, particularly following recent regional meetings where they
asserted stronger claims to the South China Sea.
Yudhoyono
said that most geopolitical risks today came not so much from the threat of
military attack but from mistrust, miscalculation and miscommunication, which
gave rise to the occasional incidents.
"This
is why we are seeing an escalation of disputes, border clashes, naval
stand-offs and brinkmanship.”
"There
are still gaps that need to be reduced, especially among major powers where the
potential for strategic rivalry is still reasonably high. One way to promote
greater confidence building to reduce this gap is to hold joint military
exercises, which would include countries such as the United States and China.
Indonesia is willing to be part of these efforts,” said Yudhoyono.
Bagus
T. Saragih
The
Jakarta Post
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